Efficacy of Varenicline for Smokeless Tobacco Use in India

This study has been completed.

Sponsor:

University of Pennsylvania

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:

NCT01098305

First Posted: April 2, 2010

Last Update Posted: July 30, 2015

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government.
Read our disclaimer for details.

Participants will be randomized to receive varenicline or placebo for 12 weeks. The dosing regimen consistent with FDA guidelines will be used: Day 1-Day 3 (0.5mg once daily); Day 4-Day 7 (0.5mg twice daily); and Day 8-Day 84 (1.0mg twice daily).

Other Name: Chantix

Behavioral: Counseling

All participants will be provided with a structured behavioral counseling program, involving 6 counseling sessions by a trained NDDTC counselor. This will be a manual-based intervention and revised as needed for cultural relevance and sensitivity by Dr. Stigler. The intervention is designed to enhance awareness of the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco, assist the person in developing skills to quit and avoid relapse, and instruct the smokeless tobacco user on medication adherence, as recommended by experts in the field.

Other Name: Behavioral Counseling

Placebo Comparator: Placebo

Behavioral: Counseling

All participants will be provided with a structured behavioral counseling program, involving 6 counseling sessions by a trained NDDTC counselor. This will be a manual-based intervention and revised as needed for cultural relevance and sensitivity by Dr. Stigler. The intervention is designed to enhance awareness of the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco, assist the person in developing skills to quit and avoid relapse, and instruct the smokeless tobacco user on medication adherence, as recommended by experts in the field.

Other Name: Behavioral Counseling

Detailed Description:

The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in the United States is low vs. cigarette smoking, yet rates have remained constant over the past few years. In contrast, the rate of smokeless tobacco use in India is 20%. Smokeless tobacco is a carcinogenic and responsible for ~10,000 deaths/year from oral cancer in India. Unfortunately, there have been remarkably few intervention trials in India for smokeless tobacco users. To date, no trial has evaluated the new FDA approved medication, varenicline, for smokeless tobacco use. We will conduct a randomized placebo-controlled trial of varenicline for smokeless tobacco dependence at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC) at the All India Institute of Medicine (AIIMS) in New Delhi with 237 smokeless tobacco users. The primary aims of this trial are to: 1) enhance research capacity at the NDDTC (i.e., train AIIMS staff to implement the behavioral counseling protocol with pharmacotherapy, data collection and management procedures); 2) assess the efficacy of varenicline for increasing biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence smokeless tobacco quit rates at the end-of treatment; and 3) assess longitudinal patterns of relapse and recovery following treatment with varenicline. The results of this trial may guide future investments to evaluate the efficacy of varenicline for smokeless tobacco dependence in the US, which is critical since smokeless tobacco use in the US may increase in the coming years and no approved pharmacotherapy for this drug dependence exists in the US or around the globe.

Eligibility

Information from the National Library of Medicine

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

males and females

over age 18

used smokeless tobacco every day for the past year (confirmed with urinary cotinine)

residing within 100km of New Dehli for the next 4 months

interested in quitting use of smokeless tobacco.

Exclusion Criteria:

currently enrolled or plan to enroll in another tobacco cessation program in the next 4 months